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San Jose area has seven Electrify America sites “coming soon”

Volkswagen’s charging provider subsidiary, Electrify America, is scrambling to complete the first phase of its nationwide charging network. As reported recently, it is lagging behind schedule in California as its initial 30-month development cycle ends on June 30.

This is the first in a series of articles that will look at the company’s planned installations in various regions in the state.

San Jose and Santa Clara County

This area is the origin and center of the technology and innovation region known as Silicon Valley. Unsurprisingly, it is also one of the leading areas for electric vehicle use in the United States. Tesla Motors is headquartered here in the hills of Palo Alto near Stanford University.

Today there are over 30 DC fast charger sites from various providers although most non-Tesla sites support charging only one or two vehicles at a time. Electrify America so far has identified seven specific locations and four are under construction. None are open yet.

Electrify America is also building slower-charging sites that use AC power at workplaces and residential multi-unit complexes but that isn’t the focus of this series.

For fast DC charging, Electrify America is building two categories of sites. Community or metro sites typically have between three and six charging dispensers and sometimes include an AC dispenser. Some early site dispensers were limited to 50 kW but the plan is for most sites to support 150 kW.

The other category of installation is a highway site which typically has between four and ten charging dispensers that all support at least 150 kW.

One thing in common between both types of sites is that only a single dispenser is dual-cables to support both CCS and CHAdeMO with the rest of the dispensers supporting only CCS.

Under construction

Bank of America
971 Blossom Hill Rd, San Jose, CA 95123
This is a metro site. The charger equipment is from BTC Power. Dispenser locations are apparently being split. Two dispensers are being installed adjacent to the fenced-in power cabinet area shown below and one is next to the nearby Bank of America building entrance.

This area is being prepared to be the large concrete pad where the charging cabinets will be installed. After installation is complete, the power cabinet pad is usually surrounded by fencing to hide the equipment from view.

Bank of America
155 Bernal Rd, San Jose, CA 95119
This location has a similar split-dispenser setup as the location above at 971 Blossom Hill Road. It’s not yet clear what the power ratings will be. Some early metro sites installed early on were 50 kW but most will be 150 kW.

The photo shows a charging dispenser being installed near the bank entrance.

Safeway
2558 Berryessa Rd, San Jose, CA 95132
Metro site. Charger equipment from BTC Power. It appears there may be three charging dispensers and possibly an AC dispenser.

Great Mall
447 Great Mall Dr, Milpitas, CA 95053

This is a joint Tesla and Electrify America installation similar in some ways to the Premium Outlet mall in Livermore but with fewer Electrify America chargers. Tesla is getting eleven neighborhood-style 72 kW Supercharger dispensers on one side of the parking lot and nine on the other side. The two sides are separated by a mall entrance road. Adjacent to the side with nine Tesla spaces are four 150 kW Electrify America dispensers supplied by BTC Power.

Four Electrify America are seen with Tesla Supercharger dispensers across the mall entrance lane.

A view from within one of two adjacent Supercharger installation areas with the Electrify America equipment in the background.

The following sites are listed as “coming soon” by Electrify America but show no signs of construction yet although permits and design approval may have been received: